Sadya

Seldom do meals spin-off into culinary journeys. I've sensed it pretty much every occasion that I've been blessed to partake of an experience steeped in tradition, culture, unchanged ways of life; for millennia. The disposition of the staff at the eateries specialized in Kerala cuisine is so effusively affable, that the service charge should be valued at about ten times more than the food itself. I believe that all Malayalis are born with the gift of being hospitable, and with limitless generosity to welcome one and all with arms open wide. There is a reason why it's called God's Own Country. The food is served on a plantain leaf, and there are times when the number of dishes goes all the way up to sixty-four. That's a lot, and it could get chaotic and cumbersome if you try to find a method to the madness. To top it off, the leaves are prone to tearing at the edges and the gradient of the surface is such that the sambar, moru or both, depending on the mood you're in, are in a diablerie liquid state, just like the fluid in your mouth as we speak. The gap in between the edge of the leaf, provided it's intact, and that of the table is a couple of inches at best. You have to decide on the order of consumption, enjoy the food, act relaxed, watch out for little streams creeping out of the leaf's boundaries, and respond to the server, after processing which item he's referring to, and whether you want another helping of it. This might come across as intimidating or off-putting, perhaps it is, but in the moment of it all, you're vicariously living in a zone that's as pure as the driven snow. You freestyle your way through, combining savoury with sweet, eating bits of crushed papadam, slurping the sambaram off your fingers, taking a sip of payasam that's feeling lonely in the corner, gobble up the remaining pachadi, koottu curry, olan, kaalan.. some avial. You burp in contentment and unquestionable satisfaction, but there's still place for dessert. A spoonful of prathaman, Liz Taylor's eyes couldn't make you more enamored. The leaf is wiped clean, just as you found it. A glass of warm, pink, herbal water to bring you back to reality.